Donald



I (No Model.)

A. E. MCDONALD.

RAILWAY $WITGH.

Patented Jan. 24,1882,

n I g ATTESTI .FFECE.

ATENT ALEXANDER E. MCDONALD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 252,684, dated January 24, 1882.

Application filed March 1, 1881. (No model.) Patented in'Cauada SepteniberBO, i879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER E. MC- DONALD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented certain Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is aspecification. Y

My invention relates to what are known as stub-switches, and includes improvements designed torender the connection of the movable switch-rails more secure and stable than heretofore, and to prevent their displacement,

'all aswill be fullyhereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my switch on a small scale. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical'transverse section cut in the plane of the line 3 3 in Fig. 1, and looking in the direction ofarrow 3; and Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary views on a scale double that of the preceding figures, Fig. at being a side elevation, in section, out along the line 4 4 in Fig. 5, and Fig. 5 being a plan view of one rail.

Let A A designate the main or through track; B B, the switch-rails or movable portion of track; and O the divergent tracks, or branch tracks or sidings. Of the latter two are shown in the drawings, thoughbut one will be used in many cases. The free ends of the'rails B B may be moved opposite to and to coincide with the ends of the rails of either the main track A or the divergent tracks 0 O in the manner common to stub-switches. (Ht are the ties or sleepers,1a-nd I) b are tie-bars connecting together the rails B B.

D D are metal base-plates, one arranged underneath each rail B, and its ends fixed by bolts to the ends of the rails G O and to the fixed portion of thetrack A, as shown. These plates serve to neutralize the effect of expansion and contraction, and prevent thefree end of the rails B Bfrom beingeither wedged immovably against the rails U 0 or drawn so far away therefrom as to leave a gap between, as fully described in myPatent No. 208,026, dated September 17, 1878, the subject-matter of which I hereby disclaim.

The switchis shifted, as usual,by a vertical shaft, E, arranged at one side of the track, provided at its lower end with a crank, c, which connects by a pitmamf, to the free end of the movable portion of track B. Vhen the main line is open a quarter turn ofthisshaft to either side by means of a handle, (I, shifts the switch to one or the other of the divergent tracks 0.

On the shaft E is fixed a disk, 8, which has in its periphery three notches, 1, which are spaced ninety degrees apart, so that in either position of the switch one of these notches is adjacent to a fixed hasp or projection, 0, on the frame which supports the shaft E G is a horizontal shaft, which extends from near the shaft E to and underneath the switchrails B, near the free end of the latter, and is provided with radially-projecting ears m m, which pass up through slo's in the baseplates D D, and embrace the movable rails B B between them if the switch be set with the main line open, as shown in Fig. 5. When the ears m m are thus turned up to engage the rails a handle, H, on the opposite end of the shaft G, stands nearly vertically and enters one of the notches r. The hasp 0 projects through a slot in the handle, (see Figs. 2 and 3,) and a padlock maybe put on its end, thereby preventing the handle H from being moved out of the notch r, and consequently keeping,

.the shaft E from being turned to shift the switch, while the ears on m keep the rails .13 B from beingdisplacedin case ihepitman f were to become broken or disconm-aeted, either a'ccidentally or through the meddlingot' malicious persons. Thus accidents resultingfrom malicious or accidental displacement of the switch are securely guarded against. Thelifting of the free ends of the rails 13 B over the tops of the lugs m m, and thereby displacing them, is prevented by a strong metal bar, q, l

which extends across and close over the first tie-bar b, and its ends are'securely spiked to the ties, so that to tear it up would he as difficult as to tear up the rails themselves.

Before the switch can be shifted the switchman must unlock and take oti' the padlock, must throw down the lever Hinto the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.2, thereby bringing the lugs m into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and then turn the handle 01 a quarter-revolution in one direction or the other. He will then return the lever Hto its upright position and into another notch 1', and again apply the padlock. Fig. l'shows the ,quarter-revolution to shift the switch.

switch shifted to one of the side tracks 0, in which position the rail B is confined between one of the lugs m and a fixed stop, n.

I have said that the shaft E is turned a This is the preferable ex tent, especially when two tracks 0 are used but in that case aless turn may be made suflicient, or, in case but one is used, a greater t-nrn maybe employed, as a half-turn, and in any case the arrangement of the notches 7'7 willcorrespond with the amount of motion required to shift the switch.

It is not absolutely essential that the lever B shall be fastened to and serve as a lock for the switch-shifting apparatus, although this is preferable; but itmay, instead, be fastened or padlocked to some other stationary part, and the switch-shifting apparatus may have a separate lock or none at all.

The switch-rails B B, instead of being short railsjointed at their confined ends at c to the fixed rails of the main track, as in my said previous patent, are made of greater length than the length of the desired movable portion of rails, and their excess of length is fixed rigidly to the plates D D and to the ties beyond in the same manner as are the rails of the track A A. I fix these rails to the plates D D, preferably -by bolts passing through notches in the base of the rails and holes in the plates, as shown. With the rails fixed in this manner their free ends are moved to either side by virtue of the elasticity of the rails, which elasticity tends always to bring them back to their straight position or with the switch set to the main track. When thus attached the rails are fixed in place with great strength, and when thrown to either side assume of themselves'a gentle curve. Their fixed ends being securely attached to the plates and ties, their movable portions are, because of the rigidity of their webs, held down more firmly against the surface of the plate than in my previous patent, so that there is less looseness and hammering of the rails upon the plates D I), and their movable portions are also better prevented from tilting to either side under strain.

Switch-rails as heretofore laid,with their confined ends fixed to the ties for some distance without the plates D D, have secured some but not all of the above advantages, and they have had the disadvantage that the strain of bending or springing them to either side has been resisted only by the ties at their fixed ends, the tendency being consequently to force these ties endwise and loosen them-a tcndency which is especially objectionable during rains and freshets when the em bedment of the ties is softened and rendered incapable of resisting such a strain. By my construction I fix the rails B B rigidly to the plates D D, sp thatwhen the rails are sprung to one side the strain is thrown chiefly or entirely upon the plates and but little or not at all on the ties, the strain-tending to bend the plates in the direction of their width,in which direction they are capableofwithstandinga"ery severestrain. When sprung to either side and the lugs mm are turned up the rails rest against these, through which their tension is transferred to the plates D D,the lugs being pressed laterally against the sides of their slots therein, and thus the shiftingapparatus is relieved from strain.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination ot'switch-rails B B, plates D D, tie-bar b, cross-bar q, and lugs m m, substantially as set forth.

2.. The combination of switch-rails B B, pitman f, crank e, shaft E, disk 8, notches r r therein, lever H, shaft G, cars at m thereon, and means for locking the lever H in place when it enters notch r, substantially as set forth. 7

3. The combination, with ears m m, plates D D, slotted for the passage of said ears, and

- switch-rails B B, fastened rigidly to the remote ends of said plates and to the ties beyond, free or unattached for the remainder of their lengt h, and their free ends adapted to be engaged by the lugs m m, substantially as set forth.

4. A stub'switch consisting of the combination of m ain track A A, divergent track or tracks 0 (J, base-plates D D, fixed thereto'at one end, switch-rails B B, fixed rigidly to the opposite ends of the plates and to the ties beyond the plates, and their portions toward the rails O 0 being free or unattached to the plates,whereby, when they are sprung to either side to coincide with the divergent rails, the strain thereby caused is resisted by the plates D D, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER ELMER MCDONALD.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR (J. FRASER, H NRY CoNNE'rT. 

